Warm Arugula Chicken Salad

One of the first greens to show up in our fall CSA boxes is arugula.  Tender leaves, a bit peppery, grace our boxes, a respite from all the other summer produce I've long grown tired of.

I have two favorite websites to get recipes from these days (in addition to pinterest of course).  Farmhouse Delivery and The Year in Food never cease to awe and inspire me.  Farmhouse Delivery is a local blog based off of seasonal eating, so I don't have to search in summer recipes for our October produce.  A Year in Food just is beautiful.  Beautiful.

While this recipe originally was a warm chicken salad, I transformed it to a warm arugula salad when I discovered the chicken I had reheated for the salad was extremely freezer-burnt and I couldn't stand to eat it.  (True story).  Next time, I plan on trying this again with chicken, but preferably chicken that hasn't been frozen yet....maybe a nice leftover chicken recipe for a roasted or rotisserie chicken.  If you want to leave out the chicken to make this vegetarian, you can.  You'll just have a nice, not-warm arugula apple salad instead.

I didn't serve this to the kids.  Curtis and I polished this off nicely for a Saturday lunch all by ourselves.

This serves 2 as a main dish.

Warm Arugula Chicken Salad
from Farmhouse Table (Farmhouse Delivery)

leftover roast chicken, wrapped in foil and re-warmed at 350 (save juices and drippings) (optional)
1/2 bunch arugula, washed carefully, stems removed, and torn
1 apple, sliced as thinly as possible
2 -3 sweet peppers slivered (if you have other sweet peppers besides bell, definitely use those!)
2 T pine nuts, toasted

1 T rosemary, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T sherry vinegar
1 T whole grain mustard
1/2 c olive oil

Combine warm chicken (if using), arugula, apple, sweet peppers, and pine nuts in a large salad bowl or serving platter.  Place rosemary, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and olive oil in a small glass jar and shake vigorously until oil appears to be mixed in.  Add the saved chicken juices/drippings (if using), and continue to shake.  Add half the dressing to the salad and toss well to combine.  Serve the reminder of dressing on the side (in case someone wants more dressing).

Serve immediately.

Arugula, Radish, and Grains Salad

While normally I think of myself as an adventurous eater, there are some things, I still shy away from.  Beef tongue?  Pork trotter?  No problem.  Quinoa?  No, thanks.  Seriously.  I've been a flexitarian for years now (probably between 15 - 20 years of eating meat just a couple times a week, and sometimes less than that.  Of course, sometimes more, too).   I love tofu and have eaten it many different ways.  I love lentils and other beans.  However, I haven't branched out to the grains.  Too hippy, I've always thought (I know, I can hear you laughing at me now).  This recipe inspired me to buy no less than 3 grains I've never, ever bought before.  I will be buying those grains again.  I may even try some other quinoa recipes.

It was the radishes and arugula that inspired me to take the plunge into not typical US mainstream grains.  In our CSA box last week, we got two large bunches of different radishes.  My favorite were included---the red ones that when you slice you see pink rings in the middle.  I am not a radish fan.  I'll eat them in chicken tacos (aahh.....must make those again soon!), but that's about it.

Curtis and I loved this.  I didn't even offer it to our kids.  I figure once it's on the table a few more times, I'll have them taste it.  By then, they'll be used to seeing it and it won't seem so strange.  Plus, if I shared, then I wouldn't have any for lunch for myself today.  I also shared some with my in-laws and they thought it was pretty good.

I made a half recipe which easily served 4 - 6 people as a side.  The amounts included are my half recipe amounts.

Arugula, Radish and Grains Salad 
adapted slightly from Amanda Hesser on food52.com

1 c mixed grains, like farro, freekah, wheatberries, wild rice, quinoa, and/or pearl barley (I used wild rice, farro, and quinoa)
3/4 - 1 c arugula, torn if on the larger side, long stems trimmed off
1/2 c parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, thinly sliced (cut in a chiffonade)
1/4 lb pecans
2 T hazelnut oil (or walnut oil, hazelnut was just what I had on hand)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 c radishes, cut as thinly as possible (a mandoline makes this easier)
2 T olive oil
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c dried cranberries

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  If using wild rice and wheat berries, add those first and cook for 10 minutes.  Add whatever remaining grains you are using and cook an additional 25 minutes or until just tender.  Drain the grains in a fine colander (if your holes are too big, the quinoa will all escape with the hot water) and set aside until just warm to the touch.  Combine the grains with the rest of the ingredients in a medium-large serving bowl and toss well.  Season with salt to taste (if you heavily salted the water, you probably won't need to add any extra salt).

Stone Fruit and Arugula Salad

Your small tender leaves
Jagged and peppery recalls
Cooler days to come

Crisp, ripe stone fruits dance
with pungent cheese, hazelnuts
unexpected joy

Yes, this salad inspired haiku. Probably more if I sat and thought about it for too long. I wouldn't have put this combination together. When I think of fruits on my salads, I think strawberries, oranges, occasionally blueberries. It never occurred to be to add stone fruits like peaches, plums, and apricots. I am sure you could just choose one of the fruits and skip the others, but why?
Hazelnuts I always just paired with chocolate or raspberries or other dessert things. This combination is great.

Stone Fruit and Arugula Salad
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

2 T rice vinegar
1 t honey
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
6 c (more or less, I never measure my greens...), baby arugula
2 small firm (but yet ripe) plums, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
2 small firm (but yet ripe) apricots, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
2 small firm (but yet ripe) peaches, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 c hazelnuts
1/4 c firm blue cheese, crumbled

Toast the hazelnuts: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place hazelnuts on rimmed baking sheet and toast 7 - 10 minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and skins flake off easily (test one or two nuts carefully). Remove from oven and dump nuts on one half a dishtowel. Fold dishtowel over to cover and roll the nuts between the top and bottom layers of the towel. Roll nuts that still have skins clinging to them between your fingers. If not all the skin comes off, that's fine, but most of the skin should. Coarsely chop skinned hazelnuts and set aside.

In a small glass jar, combine the vinegar, honey, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until vinaigrette is emulsified. Set aside. (You can also do this by slowly drizzling olive oil into vinegar and honey, whisking constantly to emulsify. I find the shaking route much easier and more effective).

In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, fruit, and hazelnuts. Add half of the vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste and add more vinaigrette if necessary to assure the arugula is lightly coated with dressing. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve.

Insalata Rustica

We got frisee last week in our box for the very first time ever. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I loved the way it looked--all curly. After consulting my three library cookbooks (more on those another time!), I turned to epicurious. Once again, epicurious rose to the challenge!

The pairing for this was wonderful--the sweet of the grapes and tart cherries offset the peppery, slightly bitter greens. I made it twice this past week, each time with a slightly different assortment of toppings for the salad. I would stick with the roasted grapes, tart cherries, and Parmesan every time. The rest I think you can rotate in and out depending on what you have on hand in your pantry. These proportions will serve 4 adults easily.

Insalata Rustica
adapted from Bon Appetit
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 oz thinly slice prosciutto, cut into 1/2" squares (opt)
1 c stemmed, seedless grapes
1/2 c dried tart cherries
5 c loosely packed frisee and arugula (or radicchio)
1 Bosc pair, cored, 1/2 cut into matchsticks, the other 1/2 thinly sliced (opt)
1/4 c toasted pine nuts (opt)
thinly sliced Parmesan cheese (no bigger than 1" x 1" squares)

1/2 c very good extra virgin olive oil
3 T fresh lemon juice

Toss grapes with 1 T olive oil on rimmed cookie sheet. Roast in preheated 350 degrees oven until grapes begin to shrivel, 15 - 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet. While grapes are roasting, place dried tart cherries in a small bowl. Add enough hot water to cover cherries by 1 inch. Let cherries soak for 15 minutes to soften. Drain. Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil in lg skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto, a little at a time so it doesn't clump together and saute until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. (Grapes, cherries, and prosciutto can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature until ready to use).

To make dressing, shake 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice in a small jar to emulsify. Set aside. Mix greens, matchstick-size pears, prosciutto, grapes, parmesan, and cherries in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with pear slices and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve dressing on the side (if you prefer you can mix dressing in when you combine the greens. I prefer to let people add their own dressing).

Greens with Beets and New Potatoes

I am finding our CSA box isn't going as far as it once did. At first I thought it was because the box size was smaller. I've since realized that I am feeding more people with the box than I did when I first started several years ago (feeding three instead of five!). I am needing to supplement with finds at the farmer's market. I love that Johnson's is at both of our area farmer's market and I support them there as well. Last weekend, I found beautiful bunches of small beets there and bought three bunches since my family loves beets. I also had this recipe in mind.

At one point, I had been planning on using my dill in this, but having using the whole bunch of dill in the lamb stew earlier in the week, I had to leave it out. I think next time, I may clip some of my fresh cilantro (all my herbs survived the freeze--yippeee!!!) to add a little more flavor. I varied greatly from the original recipe--I made the whole thing less fussy and more simple. It made me happy to know the whole salad came from Johnson's.

Curtis and I thought it was great. Again the vinaigrette was nice and light. I set some roasted veggies aside for M, J, and I to eat alone. It's a great salad which reminds me slightly of the nicoise summer salads. With these proportions, this recipe should serve 6 - 8. I made a whole recipe of beets, potatoes and vinaigrette. However, I only used as much lettuce as I thought Curtis and I would eat and saved the other ingredients for salad another day.

Greens with Beets and New Potatoes
based on a recipe from Gourmet

2 medium beets (1 lb with the greens, 14 oz without the greens), stems trimmed to 2 inches
1 lb small new potatoes, scrubbed well
1 t olive oil
1/8 t salt
7 oz (14 c) greens (Bibb, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, baby arugula, meslun, baby spinach or a mix)
1/3 c fresh chevril, dill, and/or cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)
1/3 c fresh tarragon leaves (optional)

1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
1/4 t dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Wrap beets in foil and roast on a baking sheet in upper third of a preheated 425 degrees oven 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Once beets have roasted for 30 minutes, toss potatoes (whole) with oil and salt, place on a baking sheet, and roast in lower third of the oven until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully unwrap the beets, cool slightly, and slip off and discard skins and stems.

Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified (or use the shake in a little jar method---add all vinaigrette ingredients and shake vigorously until well blended).

Cut beets into 1/3 inch dice and put in a large salad bowl. Cut potatoes into 1/3 inch slices (cutting the slices in halves or quarters if they are rather big) and add to the bowl. Add the greens and herbs (if using). Add vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

We are inundated with greens right now. While, I often stick to my easy standby of store bought dressing, sometimes I want something different. Very rarely I find a store bought vinaigrette that both Curtis and I like, and I find it's much easier to make my own. I was excited to find a recipe that used grapefruit, which are easy to find both at the grocery store and farmer's markets right now.

This recipe couldn't be any easier. I mixed the vinaigrette in an old (clean, don't worry) dijon mustard jar, but any small jelly type jar works great. We had this on top of an arugula and spinach mix. It was tasty, but not overpowering.

Grapefruit Vinaigrette
from Bon Appetit

2 T freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 T white wine vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Pour grapefruit juice and vinegar into a small glass jar. Shake briefly. Add oil and vigorously shake into vinaigrette is well blended. Pour immediately over greens (particularly good with arugula). This makes enough for 4 servings.

Pizza Roll-ups

You would think just two days before Christmas, one day before we fly out of town I would have better things to do besides post. I do. I could make a list: laundry, pack, organize, clean. I don't really want to do any of those things though, so I am posting instead.

Our neighborhood had a Christmas party last Sunday night. It was wonderful, complete with a hay ride through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights and caroling as we rode. It was a potluck and I wanted to bring a main course, because I suspected (and was right) there would be lots and lots of desserts. I also had arugula I needed to use.

I decided to try pizza roll-ups. I saw a recipe for mushroom pizza roll-ups on Bitten and thought I'd attempt those. While I was at it, I thought I'd make the traditional, more kid friendly sausage and cheese pizza rolls, which recipe found elsewhere on the internet. Plus, there was that arugula so I decided to make my own variation to use the arugula as well.

I had varied degrees of success. The sausage and cheese roll-ups looked the nicest. The arugula tasted the best (I thought). The mushroom was a bit of a flop--I think too much moisture for the dough to rise in the oven and too rich with all the mushrooms. Regardless, all three were gone pretty quickly at the potluck. A double batch of dough will make two-three pizza rolls. I am not including the recipe for the mushrooms because I don't think it I will make it again. You can include the pizza sauce on the arugula one if you want--I did this time, but don't think I will next time so the dough rises more in the oven (at least that's my hypothesis). Serve on the side if you don't use it inside the roll-up.

Pizza Roll-Ups
Adapted from Taste of Home plus my inventions

A batch of your favorite pizza dough (click here for my favorite)

For sausage and cheese filling for one pizza roll-up
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
7 oz roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 c mozzarella cheese, grated (or other Italian cheese)

For arugula filling for one pizza roll-up
one small bunch of arugula, coarsely torn
thinly sliced Italian deli salami
1 c mozzarella cheese (or other Italian cheese), grated
1 c pizza sauce (optional)

For the sausage and cheese filling: Cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Roll dough into a long rectangle. Top with sausage topping. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with a short side. Tuck ends under and pinch seam to seal. Mix an egg with a little water and brush over top of roll, sprinkle with some parmesan cheese (optional). Bake in preheated 375 degrees oven for 25 -30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into 1/2 - 1" slices. (A variation: use 1/2 lb sausage and 10 oz of chopped spinach).

For the arugula filling: Roll out pizza dough into a long rectangle. Spread salami across the top of the dough. Top with arugula and then cheese. Mix an egg with a little water and brush over top of roll, sprinkle with some parmesan cheese (optional). Bake in preheated 375 degrees oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Sausage and Olive Sandwiches

The best thing about sandwiches for supper is they are easy to adapt for everyone tastes. I won't admit how naked J and M's sandwiches were. However, Curtis and I really enjoyed ours. The only thing I would change about this is adding a smear of goat cheese next time. That would elevate this sandwich to perfect category. These proportions will serve 2 adults easily.

Sausage and Olive Sandwiches
adapted from Gourmet

1/4 c green olives, finely chopped
1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices of crusty bread like ciabatta or 2 ciabatta rolls
2 bratwurst, andouille, or other flavorful fully cooked sausages, split (I used Opa's from Fredricksburg)
1/4 c bottled piquillo or roasted red peppers, cut into strips
1 c arugula, stemmed (if not baby arugula)
soft goat cheese (optional)

Combine olives and oil and then spread on bottom slices of bread. Heat a grill pan or heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot, then heat sausages until hot, about 8 minutes. To make sandwich, layer peppers, then sausage and then arugula over olive layer. Spread goat cheese on top piece of bread and cover sandwich.

Rigatoni with Sausage-Tomato Sauce and Arugula

The hunt for arugula recipes continues. So far, I am not complaining, especially when I get led to recipes like this.

We all loved this dish. This sauce makes twice as much as needed for the amount of pasta. I recommend freezing half of the sauce and getting it out next time you want some quick and delicious pasta and sauce.

Rigatoni with Sausage-Tomato Sauce and Arugula
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 T olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 lbs fresh mild sweet Italian sausages, casings removed (can also use hot Italian sausage if you would prefer)
1/2 c dry red wine
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
8 oz rigatoni (a fat penne pasta)
2 c (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed
1/2 c fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain drippings from pot. Add wine, diced tomatoes with juice, and crushed tomatoes. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain. Stir in basil and oregano into sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Put pasta in bottom of large pasta bowl. Top with the arugula. Cover arugula with hot sauce and allow arugula to wilt before serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan

Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout

It was rainy and cold the other day and just the kids and I for supper. I was hankering for Butternut Squash Bisque, but didn't really want to make it without Curtis being here and I didn't know how well the kids would eat it. I searched for something more kid friendly and found this. It was a winner. Both kids loved and even wanted to eat the ragout (pronounced ragu) next day for lunch.

I changed up the recipe a little. The original recipe called for 6 oz of spinach. I don't have spinach. I have lots and lots of arugula in my fridge. Curtis ended up making it home for supper and I experimented with the arugula for our ragout. In the bottom of the bowl, I placed some coarsely torn arugula leaves. I topped it with the hot soup and then tossed it to help wilt the arugula. It was wonderful. I am pleased to have found a soup I can use arugula in. It added to the flavor and used a lot (you can use as much or as little arugula as you want).

Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Ragout
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mild bulk Italian sausage
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 c chicken stock
1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 c elbow macaroni
1/2 - 1 c per serving of coarsely torn arugula
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add sausage and saute until brown, breaking up sausage, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), broth, beans, 1 c basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until tender, but still firm to bite, about 10 - 15 more minutes. Mix in 1/3 c cheese and remaining 1/2 c basil. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, put torn arugula leaves in bottom of soup bowl. Ladle ragout into bowls and gently toss with arugula. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Grits Gratin with Arugula and Bacon

While this didn't look quite how I had imagined it from the name, it was rather tasty. How can you go wrong with bacon, garlic and cheese in a dish? I estimated the amount of arugula I put in (by the handful). If you aren't using baby arugula, be sure to take the stems off and discard. You only want the leaves. I also think you could use as much as 8 cups of arugula. The balsamic vinegar is essential in this recipe. It gives the dish a nice sweet flavor. You can use either grits or polenta (I used polenta). My dish never got "golden and bubbling" like Bittman said it should and I still haven't figured out why, but it didn't make that much of a difference.

How did this go over? Well, M didn't like the polenta but ate the arugula, which surprised me. She informed me that she, "doesn't like to eat Brits." I guess that's good. :) Curtis thought it was wonderful, which is good because he normally doesn't eat polenta. I think I have succesfully found some ways that he'll eat polenta, which is good because I love it. This also is a different way to use up some of that large bag of arugula we got in our boxes this week.

Grits Gratin with Arugula and Bacon
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Grits (or Polenta)
1/2 c milk, preferably whole (but I used skim and it was just fine)
2 c water
large pinch of salt
1 c coarse cornmeal

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 slices thick bacon, chopped (if you are using thin bacon, use more)
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t sugar
4 - 8 c arugula leaves (stems discarded)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Recipe of grits/polenta
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated

To make the grits/polenta, bring milk, water and large pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the lumps from forming. Simmer over low heat until mixture is fairly thick (length of time will depend on type of cornmeal or polenta you are using--I used quick polenta and it only took a couple of minutes), stirring frequently. The polenta should be about as thick as thick oatmeal. Press into a loaf pan and let cool at least 10 minutes (or as long as a day). Slice into 1/2" thick slices.

Put 1 T oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and garlic and cook until bacon is crispy. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently in the pan. Spread in bottom of a greased shallow 2 quart casserole dish or a 9 x 13" baking pan. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Carefully spread the grits/polenta slices on top of the arugula, overlapping them a little if necessary. Drizzle with 1 - 2 T olive oil (and a little extra balsamic vinegar if you'd like, which I did), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated 400 degrees oven until the topping is golden and bubbling (or not), about 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Spicy Lentil Crispy Tacos

I've been having a hard time lately following directions. It seems like every recipe I've made lately there has been at least one incidence of me not doing what the recipe calls for. Sometimes, this significantly changes the end product, making me sad, like the Fluff Filled Chocolate Madeleines I made last week that ended up dry, dry, dry because I didn't lower the oven temp like I needed to. Other times, I don't mind the mistakes because what is made comes out quite tasty. Such was the case with my spicy lentil crispy tacos.

Unfortunately, these were too spicy for my kids to eat. I bought bulk taco seasoning and ended up using 1/3rd the amount the recipe called for. The lentils still had more "kick" than M could handle. Curtis and I really liked them (as you can tell from Curtis's thumbs up). I topped the lentils with some grated cheddar, arugula, and store bought pico de gallo.

My cooking mishap? This recipe originally called for the sour cream/chipotles to be mixed together and served on the side. I somehow missed that and stirred the sour cream and chipotles right into the lentils. It turned out just fine, just a little runnier than I had hoped. I'll probably make it the same way next time, so I am including my way in the recipe. The arugula was great green to use because the flavor didn't get lost in the spiciness of the lentils.

Spicy Lentil Crispy Tacos
adapted from SELF magazine

1 T olive oil
1 c onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 t salt
1 c dried brown lentils, rinsed
1 pkg (2.25 oz) taco seasoning
2 1/2 c vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 c sour cream
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 t adobo sauce
8 taco shells

pico de gallo
cheddar, grated
arugula or lettuce

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook onion, garlic and salt until onion begins to soften, about 3- 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender 25 - 30 minutes. (You can make this ahead and stop here. To finish, just heat up and continue with recipe). Stir in sour cream chipotle, and adobo sauce. Uncover lentil mixture and cook until mixture thickens slightly, 6-8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula or pastry blender, if desired (I didn't do this. I left the lentils whole). Spoon some lentil mixture into each taco shell, followed by cheddar, arugula, and pico de gallo.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula

Mmm....bacon, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula. Do I really need to say more? I don't think so.

I loved this and Curtis thought it was pretty good. J ate his without complaint. M had to be convinced, but she ate around the green stuff when pushed.

I did tweak this recipe a little. I used half as much pasta as the recipe called for, but the same amount of sauce. I liked it like that. If you want a less rich meal, either also half the sauce or use a whole pound of pasta. The recipe is for my version.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula
adapted from Gourmet

2 slices of thick bacon (or 1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2/3 c heavy cream
1/2 c drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 oz baby arugula, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 T fresh basil, chopped

Cook bacon in a 12" heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning as needed, until browned and crisped. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces when cool enough to handle. Pour off all but 2 T of fat from the skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook penne in a pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 c cooking water and drain pasta.

To serve, combine pasta, arugula mixture, and parmesan in a large pasta bowl. Thin with remaining pasta water, if necessary. Stir in basil.

Grilled Portabella Bulgur "Burgers"

This recipe looked wonderful when I found it on Epicurious. I love grilled portabellas and I was excited to find another use for zucchini and bell peppers.

To put it mildly, I absolutely destroyed the portabellas. I am going to blame it on being out of grilling practice. The mushrooms were charred, but very firm--not at all soft like they should have been. The filling was incredible--I ate leftovers for several meals. It was great. I'll probably try this recipe again because of how good the bulgur filling was. Next time I'll make sure I have the grill on very, very low heat (maybe even use indirect heat for a little part of the time...) and hopefully these will turn out better. Curtis also loved the filling and he could tolerate the mushrooms (which is more than I could do). J ate a little filling and M worked on part of a mushroom.

Grilled Portabella and Bulgar "Burgers"
from Gourmet

For tomato vinaigrette:
2 lg garlic clove
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 c parsley
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 T chopped fresh rosemary

For bulgar burgers
6 - 8 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
1 sm onion, cut lengthwise into 1/2" wedges
2 med bell peppers, quartered lengthwise
1 med zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c boiling water
1 c bulgur
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted
2 1/2 oz arugula (4 c)
1 firm-ripe small avocado

To make vinaigrette, drop garlic into food processor with motor running, and finely chop. Add tomatoes, parsley, oil, vinegar, rosemary, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper and pulse until tomatoes finely chopped, but not pureed.

To make the salad, toss the cleaned portabellas with a 1/2 c of the vinaigrette in a 13 x 9" baking dish and let stand, turning occasionally, 20 minutes. Toss onions, bell peppers, and zucchini with oil, 1/4 t salt, 1/8 t pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered on a preheated gas grill to medium heat, until tender (6 - 8 minutes for peppers, 6 - 10 minutes for zucchini, 8 - 12 minutes for onion wedges, and 12 - 15 minutes for portabellas). Transfer the portabellas to a plate and the remaining vegetables to a bowl as they finish cooking. Cool slightly and then coarsely chop onions, peppers, and zucchini.

While vegetables cook, pour boiling water over bulgur with 1/2 t salt in a large bowl and let stand until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a sieve if any water remains. Add vegetables to bulgur with pine nuts and remaining vinaigrette and toss.

Put arugula on a platter. Top with an upside down portabella. Pack bulgur mixture into a cup measure and then unmold on top of portabella. Top with another portabella, right side up. serve with an avocado quarter.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I think I am coming around with beets. I like this
recipe quite well. Maybe it's the addition of goat cheese. Goat cheese makes about anything better. Curtis also really like it. The kids, not so much, but I wasn't really surprised. Next time, I think I will increase the amount of red wine vinegar I use.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

4 - 6 medium size beets
3 T extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c goat cheese
a bed of salad greens (I used both arugula and spinach)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets and trim the tops off of them. Toss with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt. Place the beets on a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and make a pouch for them, sealing it tightly. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour (or until they pierce easily with a fork). Remove from the oven and let the beets for 10 minutes. Open the pouch and let the beets cool slightly. Peel the outer skins off the beets. Dice the beets.

Combine beets, onions, vinegar, and olive oil. Arrange the beets over the bed of salad greens. Sprinkle the cheese on and around the beets. Serve at room temperature.

Arugula Bread Pudding

I was excited about my little bag of arugula, but was tired of all my usual arugula recipes. I went to Epicurious in search of a new arugula recipe and decided tonight would be a good night to have breakfast for supper. To see the recipe, click here. Instead of typing out the whole recipe, just few notes on it. The recipe called for shallots. I very, very rarely use shallots, so I used an onion instead and just browned it for longer than the recipe suggested. I put in about a 1/2 c of onion. Next time, I think I will use more like 1 c--I really liked the flavor it gave. I also didn't have 7 oz of arugula (they said that would be 6 1/2 c). I suspect I had more like 3 c worth. More arugula would be better to give it the nice peppery arugula flavor. I also substituted good ole Swiss cheese for Gruyere.

Everyone enjoyed it. M dove right into it, even eating the arugula. Best of all, I can eat leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!

Tuna Tostadas

As we were eating supper tonight, Curtis and I had a debate about whether or not our greens were arugula or mustard greens. We are still unsure. The greens were more bitter than usual, but I didn't mind them. They still could have been arugula though, because the bigger arugula grows, the more bitter they tend to get. Regardless of what kind of greens they were, they worked fine for the tuna tostadas we had for supper.

I must admit, I am a little bit at a loss about what to do with fresh tomatoes in February. Making some homemade Salsa Cruda seemed like the perfect use for the tomatoes. I was saddened while making it because I had to buy my cilantro at the store instead of walking out my front door and just trimming some. I fear it will be a little while before I get around to tearing out the old vine beds that we inherited with house and planting some herb gardens.

Curtis and I thought supper was great. The kids are getting and getting over a virus and neither had much of an appetite (an example, M turned down a second choc chip cookie we made this afternoon. That never happens!). Any fish will do with these, we just happened to have one remaining bag of tuna in our freezer that we discovered when we moved.

Tuna Tostadas
1/2 c vegetable oil
6 - 8 corn tortillas (6" across)
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lb fish (tuna or catfish is recommended)
1 clove garlic, halved
2 T fresh lemon juice
3 c arugula

Salsa Cruda
1 - 2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
jalapeno or hot pepper as desired (I omit entirely on the rare chance the little people may eat it)

Fry tortillas in hot vegetable oil. Drain on paper towels. Combine cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Rub each fish fillet with the cut side of the garlic clove and then with the spice mixture. Arrange on broiling pan or aluminum foil and sprinkle with lemon juice. Broil the fish 3 inches from heat for 5 - 10 minutes or until juices run clear. (For me, the easiest way to broil this is in my toaster oven---not toaster, but toaster oven.) Cut into chunks.

To make salsa, combine salsa ingredients. Adjust ingredients to taste. To serve tostadas, top tortilla with arugula, then fish, and then salsa.

Tuna on Fettuccine with Green Olives and Arugula

Let me start by saying, this meal got divided into 2 parts....fish and pasta. I couldn't find fresh tuna (nor was willing to pay the price for it even if I had) at the grocery store. I decided Cod on Fettuccine didn't have the same appeal to it, so I baked the fish in the oven with some lemon and green olives. I am going to include the original recipe, which I have made before and I think is fabulous. My version also worked just great. M loved the fish (had third helpings!) and J loved the pasta so Jack Sprat and his wife struck once again. The arugula I had was "middle-aged" or older (as Curtis put it), but still tasted great--it just wasn't as tender as the young arugula.

Tuna on Fettuccine with Green Olives and Arugula
12 oz fettuccine
1 c green olive bruschetta spread from jar
6 T olive oil
4 t grated lemon peel
4 t fresh lemon juice
5 oz arugula

2 (12-oz) tuna steaks, each about 1-inch thick
4 t fresh marjoram, chopped.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 c pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add olive bruschetta spread, 3 T oil, 2 t lemon peel, 2 t lemon juice, and enough cooking liquid to coat. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper. Mix in arugula, which will wilt slightly. Meanwhile, brush each tuna steak with 1 T oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of tuna evenly with marjoram and reamining 2 t lemon peel; press gently to adhere. Heat remaining 1 T oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add tuna; sear until crusty and brown outside but still pink, inside, about 1 1 /2 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to work surface; slice thinly. Top pasta with tuna slices.

Arugula Autumn Salad

This is a nice way to use those huge bags of arugula you may be getting in your CSA box (or at the store, or grown in your backyard). Arugula has a different taste, but this salad is a great way to learn to appreciate it. The apples and caramelized pecans help the you not to notice the peppery taste of the arugula as much. I usually make a complete recipe of the pecans and dressing, but only use about 1/2 the arugula, apples, etc that is called for. I put the leftover pecans and dressing in separate containers in the refrigerator which makes the next salad a lot easier!

Carmelized pecans:
Mix together 1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts), 1 T corn syrup, and 1 T sugar. Toast in oven at 350 degrees until sugar begins to melt and nuts are toasted and coated. Watch carefully to avoid burning. After the nuts are done, remove them from baking pan promptly and transfer to parchment (or wax) paper. This will keep the nuts from becoming stuck to the baking pan.

The salad:
Toss together 1-2 thinly sliced tart apples (or pears) and 2 T lemon juice in a bowl. Add 6-8 c arugula (or any other mixed salad greens), 1/2 c Asiago cheese (goat or feta cheese are also good), caramelized pecans, and 1/2 c dried cranberries (optional). Toss gently with dressing (see below for dressing recipe).

Dressing:
Shake together in a jar with a tight lid 1/3 c olive oil, 1 T Dijon mustard, 1 T sugar, 2 T lemon juice, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper.

Proscuitto and Gruyere Stromboli

What the stromboli looks like as it is being stuffed and then rolled up.

This meal can be as easy or as difficult as you make it. In it's easiest form, use a tube of prepared french bread dough (you know, the kind that pops out of the wrapper in a freaky, surprising way). If you want to head away from processed food, make your own french bread dough. I whipped out that handy, seldom used wedding gift a breadmaker to make the french bread dough. It was quite easy since the bread maker did all the work.

To make the stromboli, roll out the french bread dough (however you choose to come by it) on a cookie sheet. Divide the dough into four quadrants. On each quadrant, put a slice of prosciutto (I just used the packaged, not really expensive un-Italian kind). Then top with about a 1/4 c fresh arugula, a couple of T of grated Gruyere and a few sprinkles of chopped parsley. Roll up jelly roll style and tuck the ends under. Bake in a preheated 425 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Remove and serve. We like to dip ours in spaghetti sauce or ranch dressing because the bread can get kinda dry.

The beauty of this meal? It's just like pizza, you can stuff the stromboli with whatever you like. I used to make 2 different kinds--one for the kids and one for Curtis and I. For Curtis and I, I would use the ingredients listed above (Gruyere by the way is a kind of swiss cheese). For the kids, I would just use pepperoni and whatever non-interesting cheese I had on hand.

This time I made them all the same. The kids loved them! They each ate their half and then M started on a second a half. I had to stop her from eating too much because I was scared she would get a stomachache from overeating. The amazing part was that she didn't try to pick out the "green stuff" which she at first referred to as kale, until I told her it was arugula. The picture demonstrates how much she loved her stromboli!